


Mr. & Mrs. Shinra: Microphones

by goddamnitaisha



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 20:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2401679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddamnitaisha/pseuds/goddamnitaisha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mrs. Shinra is downstairs and President Shinra is in his study. He listens to her via microphones. He grows more and more angry but he cannot move out of his chair: baby Rufus is sleeping on his tummy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mr. & Mrs. Shinra: Microphones

Maximillion Shinra Senior, the President of the Shinra Weapon Factory, smoked his cigar in his living room and waited for his wife to come home. He had returned from work three hours early to make sure the tiny microphones were installed correctly and out of sight.

His head Turk had been very helpful, and he was considering expanding the small elite of spy-agents to a group of twenty Turks in total. If it worked out, they could probably go nation-wide. It would be good to have a group of people to back up his little boy in case of emergencies - like kidnappings or assassinations. They would have to be the best of the best, and they should have absolute loyalty to the President of Shinra. Putting himself and his most valuable treasures - his son and his wife - into the hands of a skilled group of fighters was a double-edged sword.

Like marriage.

The microphones worked: he could hear the front door open.

"Turk, my husband hasn’t said anything meaningful to me since he said I do," Lilith’s voice came through clearly from the speakers that were on his desk. 

Shinra Senior smiled. He looked at the clock, and then down to the baby boy sleeping soundlessly on his round belly. He tapped the ashes from his fat cigar, and blew the smoke over the sleeping child.

"I told her she’s beautiful," he whispered to Rufus, but mainly to himself.

A male voice said, "Mrs. Shinra, should I -?"

\- "Oh, don’t go. It would be a bore to be all alone. Do come in.”

Shinra inhaled again, and the smoke was warm on his tongue - a warmth he had long lost. He pressed a kiss on the child’s head.

"I told her she is smart," he whispered.

The smoke engulfed Rufus’ big head, his tiny form, his minuscule fingers.

"But…” the bodyguard said, “The recently imposed rule specified that no Turks are to be present in the Shinra private living quarters."

\- "Like I said, my husband says nothing meaningful. I will change the rule tomorrow. I live here too. He can’t control me."

The owner of the biggest energy power company and biggest weapon facility in the world ran his thumb over the child’s soft blonde hair. The room was warm, too warm. He himself was sweating, and his back was stiff, but Rufus had fallen asleep on his chest and even after two-and-a-half hours he dared not move, lest the boy wake up.

"I told her she is the most vile and disgusting baby-factory in this world. Don’t gravitate to her, son. She’s a little insane. Terrible mother. No, become like me. Become strong, like a lion. You already have the roar down."

He chuckled at that, self-satisfied, but stopped when he saw the child move on his quivering belly. Oh, he shouldn’t laugh. He craned his head to see if the child’s eyes had opened, but Rufus only licked his tiny pink lips. He was still fast asleep.

\- "Then I shall return tomorrow, Lilith. I don’t want to get in trouble."

\- "You’re so boring, Turk. How am I supposed to entertain myself all evening?”

The old lion felt anger surge up his throat. He clenched his teeth to keep it in. The muscles in his jaw grew hard, until his head was shaking with anger. He put his cigar - tip pointing down - on the desk and made a burn in the wood. It was mark twenty-three. He pressed down with his fingertips, and crushed the cigar butt. He wiped the remains off the table. He breathed in the smoke that hung in the room, trying to calm himself. He felt like flinging his son across the room and smacking him against the wall: anything to hurt Lilith back.

But it was a fragile little thing. He kissed the top of the egg-shaped head again. "I will personally hand-pick your wife for you. Young men have awful choice. I will not let you repeat my mistakes. I’ll get you one…. one that is good."

"Oh no! Rufus? Oh my goddess, Rufus?" Lilith’s voice was loud.

Shinra Senior reached out and turned the volume down.

"What?" the bodyguard asked.

\- "He’s not in his cradle!"

There were footsteps as she ran through the halls and corridors. Senior leaned his head back and stared up to the ceiling. He closed his eyes and his features sagged. It was best to avoid a fight by falling asleep, and he hadn’t slept well since Rufus’ birth and Lilith’s simultaneous decline from grace.

He heard her footsteps coming up the stairs, loud as thunder.The heat was lulling him to sleep. He felt himself drift into oblivion, heavy and old and sad. He whispered: “You can love a mistress but by Ifrit don’t love your wife.”

In five seconds the door would bang open. Four seconds…

Three seconds…

Papa Shinra was asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Edited by reglissenoire/LicoriceOfAllSorts


End file.
